Slammin' Vinyl Presents Hardcore Heaven 2 (2005)

The year is 2005, and to start off the review, I did not buy this album when it was released. I only purchased it years after, as I was still living in the Netherlands and had never heard of a brand called 'Hardcore Heaven' nor 'Slammin Vinyl'. It would only be later that I would discover the name and the legendary status this has, this so-called 'Hardcore Heaven'. As I am Dutch, to me a Hardcore Heaven is different, more Thunderdome and Masters Of Hardcore focussed Heaven. But not this UKHC/Happy Hardcore version. But after picking up an album by accident (which I now realise I've never written a review about!), I started to investigate this UK Hardcore more and more, and during my journey did I discover this album.

The album I first discovered was 'The No.1 Hardcore Classics Album', which was released in 2006, so even after Hardcore Heaven 2 came out. But because of that specific album did I go and purchase more and more. And the first Hardcore Heaven album I did purchase, was the second instalment in this series, which ended after the fourth instalment. A series with mixed feelings, if I'm being brutally honest.

The first three CDs in this series were mixed by Sy, Brisk, and Kevin Energy, and for the fourth instalment, they instead asked Scott Brown, Joey Riot, and Kevin Energy. They weren't bad albums, but not the greatest either. They were OK. But it depends. It is all down to personal preference. Do you like it a bit bouncier, a bit harder, or a bit more Freeform-ish? Back in the day I wasn't a fan of this Freeform sound, so I was more attracted to the sound that Sy and Brisk had, and I preferred Brisk more because he had that European Hardcore style that I liked.

Obviously, as you grow older, you become a tad wiser, and start to develop an interest in styles you've never thought could be interesting, like Freeform, so when I rediscovered this second instalment again, I had to jump aboard, and give it a go again.

As said, it was three CDs, and the discs were mixed by Sy, Brisk, and Kevin Energy. And to my knowledge, it is still the best out of all the four albums released in 2005/2006 under this Hardcore Heaven umbrella. There are other CDs also called Hardcore Heaven, but that's too complex to explain now, maybe another time.

So what was on each CD? Check this out:

CD 1: Mixed By DJ Sy

Force & Styles - Pacific Sun (Sy & Unknown Exclusive Hardcore Heaven VIP Remix)
Joey Riot - Hardcore 2 Da Bone (Exclusive VIP Hardcore Heaven Album Mix)
DJ Kurt - Break The Law
Euphony - This Life
GEOS - Look At All The Ravers
Darwin vs Cube::Hard - Pulse Attack
Sy & Unknown - Aural Illusion (Remix)
Styles & Breeze - Slide Away (Sy & Unknown Remix)
DJ Seduction - Slammin 'N Jammin (Joey Riot Remix)
Sy & Unknown - I Feel On Fire (Stu Allan Remix)
DJ Fracus - Maybe
Sy & Unknown - Promised Land
Gammer - This Is Mind Blowing
Visa - Let Me See Ya Move (Sy & Unknown Remix)
DJ Kurt - U Wanna Rock?
Al Twisted & DJ JFX - In Comes
Slippery Project - Something Like Dis (2005 Remix)
Gavin G - Through Me
CLSM - Timebomb (Cube::Hard Remix)

CD 2: Mixed By DJ Brisk

Brisk - Intro
Robbie Long & A.M.S. - Trigger Hardcore (Brisk VIP Mix)
Ham - In The Club
Frisky & Hujib - Shake
Gammer - Pound It Loud
Stormtrooper & Dair - Hit The Floor
Asa & S1 - Reach Out (Brisk & Vagabond Remix)
Vagabond feat MC Wotsee - Ready For Chaos
Frisky & Hujib - Ruff, Rugged & Raw
Stormtrooper - Right Now
Brisk & Ham - Angel Eyes (Vagabond V.I.P. Remix)
Brisk & Vagabond - Night & Dayz
Re-Con - Stab 'Em
Brisk & Ham - In Your Life (Gammer Remix)
Human Resource - Dominator (Outblast & Angerfist Remix)
DJ Mantes & DJ X-Fly - Incredible Hardcore
Brisk & Vagabond - Black Mamba
Dreadhed - Roll Em Up
The Stunned Guys - You Will Survive

CD 3: Mixed By Kevin Energy

Doc Savage - Master Blaster (Kevin Energy & Doc Savage Remix)
Dancelordz - Promises (Kevin Energy Remix)
Haze & Gemini - I Want Freedom 2005 (Impact & Resist Remix)
Dancelordz - Fly
Lost Soul - Too Strong (K Complex Remix)
Haze - The Darkness
Dougal & Gammer - Crackwhore (Kevin Energy Remix)
Kevin Energy - Feel The Heat
Innerspace - Last Man Standing
Kevin Energy - Chemical Terror (Rave Mix)
Double Decka - Transformed
Deeper Territory - Deep Space
Alek Szahala - Lumi (Kevin Energy Remix)
Kevin Energy - Waves Of Desire (K Complex & Mark Ashely Remix)
Synaesthesia - Desolation (CLSM Remix)
Carbon Based - Anga Ball
AMS - Check This
Eryk Orpheus & Mark Ashley - The Tormentor
Deviance - Energize
Eryk Orpheus - I'm The Daddy
Sharkey & Oli G - Sci-Fi
Kevin Energy - Pounding Senses (Sharkey Remix)
Kevin Energy & The TING - Power In The Light (Arkitech Remix)
K Complex & Desire - Unplugged

The tracklist brings back a lot of memories. Good memories. This takes me back, but I can imagine that anyone in the UK would have had better and more magical memories relating to these songs and the scene in general, as I wasn't living in the UK nor was I raving in the UK. I know for a fact that that would have been an experience and a half. Sadly I'm too late to experience the madness of mid 2000nd raves.

As previously mentioned, the CDs are split. If you want it a bit bouncier, you stick with DJ Sy's disc. You want it a bit rougher and tougher, you go with Brisk. If you want a lot of Freeform, you go to Kevin Energy.

Sy's disc is as good as you expect it to be. Happy and exciting. And obviously, seeing as he's the scratchmaster, he adds a bit of scratching here and there. But the bounciness of this mix can be clearly heard. Brisk starts with a blinding intro, and continues to provide us with some harder UKHC anthems and ending with some slamming European Hardcore anthems. Kevin Energy just holds our hand and guides us through a peaceful Freeform world.

Each disc has got its own positives. But the one that stood out the most and still makes me the happiest, is DJ Brisk's mix. Still the dopest with the best records. You cannot beat that sound, that kind of UKHC is unheard of, in 2024. 19 years old, still sounding more advanced than ever before.

But which record is my favourite? Here's one from each disc:

Sy & Unknown - I Feel On Fire (Stu Allan Remix)
Asa & S1 - Reach Out (Brisk & Vagabond Remix) closely followed by Brisk & Vagabond - Black Mamba
Kevin Energy - Pounding Senses (Sharkey Remix)

It's a good CD, that's for sure. It's the best out of the four in total. So from this second instalment i would put DJ Brisk's disc at number 1, Sy number 2, and Kevin number 3. What's your view on this CD? You like it? You hate it?

Not the best UKHC CD from that era, but certainly not the worst. Worth relistening, if I were you!